unclevlad

Quiet day 2. No big upsets so far, but Colgate and Wisconsin (14 vs 3) is tied at the first TV timeout of the second half. No one has a perfect bracket in the ESPN Tournament Challenge, with that game the last of the round. In fact, only 15 people have only 1 miss. (And 1 player knows his awesome place atop the leaderboard will crash and burn...he picked Kentucky to win the tournament. OOPS.)

USF hadn't made the NCAA tournament since 1998; they'd made only 2 NITs. He also turned around an 11-14 team from last year, to a team that earned an at-large bid. THAT is impressive. It's a pretty common type of hire for a power conference.

And optimistic. I don't recognize all of em offhand, but the ones I do are all FAR out on the edge. There's a decent shot that, if the war's still going on come Republican primary time, they'll find it used against them in the primaries...and then later, in the general if they survive the primary. It feels reasonable to expect that this will cost them QUITE a few votes, especially if they've got primary opposition.

Sports Illustrated headline: The Browns Will Never Live Down Trading for Deshaun Watson Nor will it work out. That contract is insane, and it's going to gut them. The draft picks...they'll be in a similar shape to the Rams. The contract terms are obscene...in Watson's favor. He's getting a $45M signing bonus and a $1M salary...so even if the league suspends him, the Browns are out the bonus. Wow. I'll grant that I'm not as anti-Watson...charges were NOT pressed, so calling him a rapist is inaccurate. I *do* think...with that many charges, that many different people...he's a slimeball. And he was jerking his team around like that Green Bay git, before the charges came to light. So... --I agree that even if he's not a rapist, his rep is SO bad that it's going to be a massive PR problem. --He's proven he has no loyalty. --We have to question his off-field judgment. Yet the Browns *grotesquely* overpaid. This feels like the Herschel Walker or Ricky Williams trades...just from the trade mechanics. Much less the foolish contract terms, and the toxic nature of the player. Yeah, I suspect the Browns have totally vaulted to the top of the Most Hated Franchise here. And Stupidest Franchise...beating the Jets takes work, but this does it.

I might have mentioned this before, but... Most of us have seen ads for Cialis or Viagra; both have been extensively promoted for multiple years. Remember the disclaimer? "Don't take <X> if your heart is not healthy enough for sex." Yes, well, to me that totally epitomizes the depths to which we've sunk. REALLY?? You have to TELL SOMEONE not to take a drug basically ONLY used before a particular activity, when they've been told they aren't healthy enough to engage in that activity???? The fundamental fact that the disclaimer is included shows the degree to which we exonerate personal responsibility. This might reflect a new low here. Some of it might be sheer carelessness tho, I suppose. But that's not a whole lot better.

Oregon could've had a scheduling conflict...probably several other sports use their arena. Murray State pulls it out in OT, so Logan's happy. May well stay happy...cuz they face St. Peters rather than Kentucky. Not *too* wild a first day...crazy games, but the brackets mostly didn't explode. Yet. The first page of the ESPN Tournament Challenge is still all perfect scores. That hasn't always been the case. There's still tomorrow. EDIT: local news mentioned: first win in the tournament for NMSU since 1970 (!). They did win one in '94...but that was vacated because they'd committed serious academic fraud. They've made it 10 times in the last 15 years...not like the WAC is exactly a powerhouse...but never higher than a 12.

I remember...I think it was my first real boss, back around 1980. He was born and raised in Nebraska. It was...pretty common, for kids to be driving on the rural back roads. Figure: this goes back probably to the 40's or early 50's. Might've been from someone else but I definitely remember kids driving in those circumstances. Man, this just makes me sick though. The kid's family is going to be wrecked too.

64 cent question...does the situation in Cheesehead Land reflect on the state of the Packer management generally....or is it, perhaps, largely engendered by preferential treatment given to their QB? There's still lots of free agents out there so the "roster power" for each team is still fluid. Still, it'll be interesting to get the preseason SB odds after the draft. Not very meaningful maybe, but still amusing. Oh, and of course the Browns are saying "no" to a trade right now. It's really debatable how much trade value he's got at this point, but saying anything else will only reduce it. That said, I think the rumors have likely gutted any value he might have anyway.

Oh my, oh my!!!! 12 seeds 2, 5 seeds 1 so far. (Saint Mary's is up 30 with 6 minutes left, I'll give that one one to them.) And one of em was the locals. NMSU 70-63 over UConn. Aggies hit 3's like crazy...33% on the season, went 11-17. Then their point guard locked the game up...tied at 58 inside of 2 minutes, he scored 11 of the last 14, including 7 for 7 from the line. Really gritty performance. 11 beat a 6 too. AND TO TOP IT OFF!!!!!!! #15 Saint Peter's takes out #2 Kentucky in OT!!! 85-79. On the FT theme? In the OT, UK was 1-6, while St Peters was 9-11. Yes indeed, the brackets have already taken some very heavy shots.

Not with that contract. Average annual value doesn't say everything, but it's more than any other WR, at $28M + . Yeah, as Starlord said, that's QB money...HIGH END QB money at that. There's only 8 QBs making more. Wonder how that QB the Packers have, feels now. Hopefully *steamed*.

Well, Miller's getting $17.5M a year for the next 4 years, and $51M total guaranteed. He's 32 and a linebacker...4 years? The deal is backloaded, and if there's not much guaranteed, cutting him might not be a problem. But that's still a big contract, and the 'boys are already paying Dak and Zeke big time. We're also seeing that the Rams might well be a one-and-done team. Sportrac says they're still $10M over the cap without Miller's contract, so keeping him would've been quite difficult, I suspect. Hope Rams fans like that they got a parade...cuz it looks like it'll be a while before the next one.

HECK of a first round game between Notre Dame and Rutgers. Went to double OT before ND finally squeezed out a 2 point win, breaking a tie with a bucket with 1.4 seconds left. Very competitive. I think Rutgers got tired, ultimately; their OT shooting was down a fair bit. Their bench played a total of 31 of the 250 total minutes...and scored 0 points. I was hoping, but...in the double OT, the clock hit midnight. BADDDDDDD omen for anyone going against the Irish.... Next game is only 9+ hours from now. Bye.........

I fail to see the problem. One doesn't lob the ball in that situation; all that would do is let Barnes catch it. The goal of the play is to get it to hit off Barnes and go out of bounds. That is a normal play. The fact that Barnes is on the ground is not relevant...unless you want to argue there should've been a foul called, but then you blame the refs for failing to make that call. Take the fact that it's LeBron out of it. He's become highly polarizing. The play being made is to save a possession. What other options were there? That it's LeBron, and yeah, he's become the latest self-made basketball villain...makes "DIRTY PLAY!!!" the call you WANT to make. And I'm right there...LeBron's at Bad Kobe levels...those years when the Lakers were slipping hard and fast, before the ankle blowout, when he was a total jerk and impossible teammate. LeBron's just become a first-order whiner and coach- and team-killer, in my book.

If people thought the runner on 2nd to start the inning was an abomination...and they did...they'd never, EVER consider a derby to decide a real game. Personally, even for an ASG, I think this is even more stupid than normal. But, the morons have painted themselves into a corner. You cannot: a) insist on playing everyone b) protect players...there's no way you want a pitcher throwing too much, or coming back in after cooling off c) play the game as honestly as possible, in terms of the rules of the game, and d) account for extra innings b) is untouchable. Burn out a pitcher for an exhibition? Risk an arm injury by having him pitch, then sit, then come back to pitch? Inconceivable. But that makes a) and d) basically incompatible. Also, as a variant on b). Say you do a derby. Who can hit in it? The starters that've been sitting for the better part of 2 hours? There's some injury risk there, I'd think. The last players on the field? We KNOW who gets the starts, tho: the long ball hitters. There's likely to be a *sharp* dropoff. Honestly, I don't care. Let the stupid game end in a tie. Maybe go 10, instead of 9; that wouldn't be a big stretch, one would *hope*, given the amount of downtime involved. Ties happen regularly in preseason. We don't *need* a winner. Toss in the logo of Sandlot Brewing, and you've got a lovely double entendre.

Technically, no. Biden can't use it, even with this. It's like "terrorist group" -- not an empty phrase, but one with specific requirements and consequences. The State Department apparently has a formal process to declare someone as a war criminal. That said, the ICJ's ruling can only greatly facilitate such a formal declaration, if Putin doesn't back off.

Hey, if the Browns try to grab Watson, it might just be classic Brownian motion. Drifting along aimlessly without path or plan. Especially if they bail on Mayfield (looking very likely, if the whole "we want an adult at QB" is to be credited) and Watson, after they trade for him, gets hit with a year's suspension.

Sometimes selective amnesia is a good thing.

The recent posts feel like they belonged in the middle of quarantine. At that point, no further explanation for them would've been necessary...

Yeah, he messed saying it, even if the story suggests it was somewhat off the cuff. That said, I think he was only technically premature, not inaccurate.

Then it isn't nationalism.

The Idaho law also has a better shot at being upheld. They allow a lawsuit against the provider from, IIRC, relatively close family only. I still hate it, but the members of their groups by and large do have a legitimate interest. I absolutely don't think they have an interest that should be considered superior to the mother's...but they do have an interest. I'm afraid that the tighter terms are likely to be upheld. I'm still hoping that the bounty aspect gets thrown out; as we've discussed, yeah, this'll explode in so many ugly ways. But that's where we're going.

Well if you can't pass something substantive, this is what you pass. Mind, I'm happy enough if it does pass. I'd scheduled a dental appointment for yesterday morning...and I was a mess. Could barely crawl out of bed...sleep cycle is just OFF. Dental tech, and the receptionist, both said the same...couldn't sleep. Still messed up today. One thing that will be interesting is if Arizona remains on standard time all year.

Hadn't remembered that specifically, but yeah, that's a good example. I think almost no one considers their situation in an organization; conversely, I think organizations undervalue leadership and don't consider disruptive elements. Browns released their center, JC Tretter. He's 31, but that should mean he's got 2-3 more good years before sliding. One story mentioned his blocking grade was among the best for centers. Browns admitted he was a major locker room leader...the players made him NFLPA president, they were so impressed with him. He started every game for the last 5 years. Their alternative on the roster? A fifth round draft pick, with 2 starts in 2 years...at *guard*. So this is, IMO, a terrible "cost-cutting" move.

I dislike Growth because it gets so unwieldy *so* fast, and I've never been convinced that the benefits are worth the cost. Shrinking, OTOH, almost goes the other way: it's almost too cheap. For a VERY granular Growth, where 3 growth levels == 2x size and 8x mass, per level: +5 STR +2 CON +1 PD/ED +1 BODY +2 STUN +4m Running -2m KB Those would be direct translations. The odd factors are Reach, and when your attack becomes AoE. Reach isn't the same as Stretching; it implicitly has Limited Body Parts, No Noncombat Stretching, and Always Direct. OTOH, IMO it doesn't cost END to use. With 6E Growth, Reach (for any character NOT having Shrinking) is defined as ( 2 ^ levels of Growth) -1 meters. (1, 3, 7, 15, 31, 63...add 1 to each. 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64.) OK; this can also be defined as (Height / 2) - 1. However, this is not constant by level. Same problem kicks in with "your hands and feet are now an AoE" in that this essentially applies AoE to your STR...and given the STR bonuses involved, this gets to be considerable. The size template rates it at 22 points for Huge, but also says it "maxes out" at 60 STR, but that's arbitrary just to put a value. Literal reading of 6E says you could buy Huge from a 25 STR basis. Also: say someone wanted to buy a trained martial artist, with Huge Growth. Say, +4 DCs between purchased HTH DCs and maneuvers. Would any of us say, oh, well, that's down to 3 DCs because of the AoE? To me that feels really nitpicky. The cost becomes a mess because a) the naked advantage changes values at irregular points, and b) because it's applying to a derived value, STR, which increases by level. Another angle here, IMO, is that the Disadvantage is *severely* underrated. I think this is something we get as players. 15 meters tall, and 45 metric TONS????? That's Huge. Where can that be used? Your foot's a 1 hex attack...even walking, you darn sure need to look where you step. And imagine if your Growth is Persistent...and you get Stunned and fall over. LOOK OUT BELOW!!!! One solution would be to limit PCs to no more than 2 levels of standard, 6E Growth...which suggests the finer levels with lower benefits would be good. 8 meters is still 25 feet. The Reach cost can largely be ignored, it's still very small. Attacks aren't AoE ever, so...OK, +1 OCV per *2* levels...dropping fractions...with HTH only. That's a max +3 for a PC. For the perception/DCV...heck, to keep it simple? Make em -1 per 2 levels as well. Someone who's 8 meters tall REALLY stands out anyway. If you're looking for someone in a room or on a street, there's a great deal of "clutter" at the level you look; but not in this case. And it's simpler. Option 2? Expanded Shrinking is 1/2 height per 2 levels. So, flip that: 2 levels of Growth doubles height. We'll limit to 4 levels to keep it simple. Each Growth level gives: +5 STR +3 CON +2 PD/ED +2 BODY +5 STUN +5m Running -3m KB +1 OCV (HTH) per 2 levels: opponents gain +3 OCV and to PER rolls This makes it somewhat more of a defensive power...more of the power is related to soaking up the damage. Costing: base costs are 5 + 3 + 4 + 2 + 5 + 5 + 3 + 4 (for the OCV) == 31. Offsetting this, IMO the OCV is 9, the PER is 3, for 12, per 2 levels, so -6 per level. These get subtracted from the base cost, so it's 25 per level. Then there's the issues related to being exceptionally tall and massive. These are awkward, as the physical complications aren't very flexible. For cost purposes, let's call it 4 points per level. NET: 21 points. NOW...none of the individual powers cost END to *have*. Some cost END to *use*...the STR, the Running...but that's separate. So there's the blanket limitation of Costs END Throughout, for -1/2. 2/3 of 21 == 14 points per level at this point. This is actually slightly higher than 6E for a given height/mass level.

I'm Type 2, so fortunately I don't need insulin. However, before in-person became taboo, I pretty regularly went to one of the diabetes education/support groups, and the costs for Lantus et al. were brought up. Yes, it's obscenely inflated. Same with EpiPens, for emergency allergic reaction treatments. But prescription drug pricing generally is...insane. Just picked up the refill on a prescription toothpaste. WAS covered by insurance before; not today. Same pharmacy, same insurance...but what does or does not get covered, or what does or does not require generic substitutions...that can change without notice. (It'd be insane to try to give notice of ALL the changes to everyone, anyway.)